REMINISCENCES OF MY DAYS IN BISHOP HERMAN COLLEGE, 1954-1957 BY MOST REV. BISHOP FRANCIS KOFI ANANI LODONU, BISHOP OF HO.

I arrived here in Kpando to begin schooling on Biheco at the end of January 1954. I was brought by My brother Eusebius and handed over to Mr. Conrad Etu-Mantey, my brother’s great friend.

The College in 1954 numbered about 80 students. We began the College from Form II. At that time all secondary schools started from Form II. Only Achimota began from Form I.  The only graduate tutors were Rev. Fr. Priems and Rev. Fr. James Caffery. The Chaplain was Rev. Fr. Desmond.

We used the present Mission compound of Kpando church as school compound. It was a boarding school, but students ordered their food from women who charged each individual only one shilling a day for 2 meals- Lunch and Supper. Women brought food to the compound for us to purchase for our breakfast. It was a great sacrifice made by the Catholic women of Kpando who fed the students almost free. May God Bless them all.

In middle of 1954, the student body was told that a bulldozer had arrived to start constructing a roadto our permanent site. Since we were eager to see the land given us by the people of Kpando Aloyi, we were allowed to go and see the bulldozer at work. We walked to zongo and the bulldozer began to clear the road amidst joy and jubilation by the students. We went behind the bulldozer at it cleared its way up the hill where the campus is. We broke branches, singing as the driver worked his way to the hill, feeling proud.

As soon as the area was cleared, Rev. Fr. Theodore Brockhoff began his constructional work. (This Priest is still Alive aged 88). By 1955 He completed the first part of the building, giving us 5 classrooms, some other halls of utility of which one was used as our our science room.

By the end of 1956, Rev. Fr. H. Van Gastel added two wings to the initial building, which in addition to the middle part we named as BIHECO Castle up to this day. This is the imposing block that welcomes everybody to BIHECO Campus with an embrace.

By the end of January 1957, we became the first full-boarders of Bishop Herman College. Our first senior prefect on the hill of the college was Dr. Evaristus Egblewogbe of revered memory. He composed the BIHECO Anthem. This 1957 group abolished the black hole of Calcutta (B.H.C). The Black Hole of Calcutta was a plan by the senior year groups to use force in bullying the first years after their stay for 10 months on campus. Before one gets the blazer one would go through a small room on his knees, (stones and even broken bottles strew the room). You then swore allegiance to the school authorities and drink ‘gari’ mixed water and vinegar. If You refuse they would pour the gari with palm oil into your hair. It was very cruel and our class abolished it in 1957.

We finished our O-Level Exams on the 5th of December 1957 and entered the world. Some of us continued in different institutions of learning. Bishop Herman College indeed produced some great personalities working in all spheres of life today.
We thank the founding fathers and Mothers. We thank the early teachers and students who have really made BIHECO a great institution.

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